In recent years, the media industry has expanded its horizons beyond traditional analog technologies. Media programs such as audio, photographs, and even feature films are now being recorded or converted into a variety of different digital encoding formats. For example, digital movies may now be encoded using a variety of different encoding formats such as RealVideo, RealMedia, MPEG, QuickTime and Windows Media encoding formats. Likewise, digital audio recordings may be encoded using a variety of different encoding formats such as, RealAudio, Liquid Audio and Windows Media encoding formats. Media programs that have been encoded will hereafter be referred to as “encoded media files”. Furthermore, some encoded formats allow for streaming the encoded media file through a client browser. Streaming is a technique for transferring data in a steady and continuous stream. Most end-users do not have fast access to download encoded files quickly. With streaming, an end-user's client browser can start playing the data before the entire encoded media file has been transmitted. Media programs that are encoded in streaming format will hereafter be referred to as “streaming media files”. Thus, streaming media files are a subset of encoded media files.
In general, end-users do not possess, nor do they have access to, the requisite tools and encoding applications that are typically required to encode media programs into encoded media files. Moreover, even if an end-user is able to purchase a set of encoding tools or encoding applications, the cost of some encoding tools limits the number of different encoding format tools that the end-user may afford.
In addition, not only do end-users need to have access to the encoding applications that are of interest to them, the end-users are generally required to have specific knowledge as to the encoding parameter values that should be used to encode their media program for each encoding format. Often, the step of entering the specific encoding parameters for a particular encoding application can be an awkward and tedious task.
Moreover, the process of encoding end-users' media program can take a significant amount of time. Often, the time required to encode a media program may be significantly greater than the actual play time of the media program. For example, to encode a two-hour analog VHS tape in MPEG II format can often take four or more hours. Thus, because each encoding process requires such a significant amount of time and resources to complete, end-users will typically restrict themselves to encoding their media program in only a limited number of encoding formats.
Apart from converting the media program into an encoded media file (by encoding the media program into the desired encoding format), end-users are still faced with finding a convenient mechanism to share the encoded media file with the end-user's family, friends and business associates. Special equipment is needed to host encoded media files. For example, an end-user would be required to have specific knowledge about streaming media servers in order to use such a server for streaming encoded media that are in streaming format.
Based on the foregoing, it is clearly desirable to provide a mechanism that can automatically encode end-users' media program in multiple media formats and that automatically provides comprehensive services associated with the publication of the encoded media files.